Blister-making machine, connected method for packing in blisters, and blister pack thus obtained

ABSTRACT

Improved blister-making machine which, starting from a moldable strip ( 11 ), from a covering strip ( 14 ) and from noxious material ( 33 ) delivered and positioned by a distributor device ( 16 ) inside the blisters ( 30 ) made in the moldable strip ( 11 ), all being subsequently sealed by a sealing device ( 18 ), produces blister packs of the desired shape and sizes, wherein upstream of the sealing device ( 18 ) there is an insulated chamber ( 15 ) containing a pre-sealing device ( 17 ) continuously achieving continuous sealed bands ( 19 ) in proximity with at least two lateral edges ( 119 ) of the blister strip ( 13 ).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns an improved blister-making machine, moreprecisely a blister-making machine for packing toxic, toxic-noxious andcancerogenous products and, more generally, products that are dangerousfor man, animals or the environment, hereafter referred to genericallyby the term noxious materials.

The present invention also concerns a connected method for packingnoxious materials in blister packs, and the blister pack thus obtainedcontaining noxious materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Blister-making machines are known, that serve to produce blister packsprovided with blisters in which noxious materials as indicated above areintroduced and sealed.

Known blister-making machines are of two types, that is, a first typewhere they are completely contained in controlled chambers, and a secondtype that is partly enclosed in an insulated chamber.

These strategies are necessary because handling the noxious materials,whether they are packed in capsules, tablets or other, in any casegenerates powders that are in themselves noxious.

The first type of blister-making machine has the disadvantage that theoperators operating inside the controlled chamber have to wearprotective clothing such as protective suits. These can be the type thatallow autonomy of movement, or the type with continuous blowing of air.The choice of which type of protective suit to use depends on the typeof noxious product that is handled by the blister-making machine. Thisentails considerable costs, long times, encumbrance for the operators,waste of energy, powerful depression systems, complex rooms or premisesthat in themselves are costly.

The second type of blister-making machine provides that the insulatedchamber encloses at least the unit that distributes the noxiousmaterial. This known technique generates considerable problems everytime the operators have to intervene on the distribution unit forcleaning, maintenance or for change-of-format of the product processed,or other operations such as replacement.

Document WO-A-02/092439 describes a blister-making machine of the knowntype.

Purpose of the present invention is to obtain a blister-making machinewhich is simple to make, is not bulky, which allows to intervene easilyand quickly for maintenance operations, cleaning, change-of-format ofthe product, or other.

The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention toovercome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain theseand other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independentclaims, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of theinvention or variants to the main inventive idea.

In accordance with the above purpose, the improved blister-makingmachine according to the present invention comprises a sealing device toseal a noxious material between a strip provided with blisters(hereafter referred to as blister strip) and a covering or sealing stripto define the blister packs, and an insulated chamber disposed upstreamof the sealing device. The insulated chamber is protected toward theinside and kept in a condition of depression using known systems,depending on the type of noxious material that is handled and insertedinto the blister packs.

In variant embodiments, the insulated chamber is kept at a depressioncomprised between 30 Pa and about 100 Pa, also depending on the type andcharacteristics of the powders that the noxious material processed cangenerate.

According to the invention, a pre-sealing device is present in theinsulated chamber, as well as at least part of the device that deliversand inserts the noxious material to be packed into the blisters presentin the blister strip.

The pre-sealing device applies the covering strip on the blister strip,in the blisters where the noxious material is already present, so as toclose the blisters made in the blister strip.

However, the application of the covering strip only affects twocontinuous bands located near the lateral and longitudinal edges of theblister strip to be covered by the covering strip.

Advantageously, the sealed continuous bands are at the ends of thelongitudinal edges, ends which can later be eliminated.

According to a variant of the present invention it may be provided tomake pre-sealing bands also at intermediate positions between the twolateral edges of the blister strip.

In this way an element is generated, in practice tubular, at leastclosed laterally, which does not allow the noxious material to spreadoutside. The tubular element, in the form of a strip, after exiting fromthe insulated chamber is sealed by the known sealing device.

According to a variant, the blister strip in proximity to the exit fromthe insulated chamber is cleaned of any possible powders present on itssurface.

Once all the subsequent, normal operations that are made on the nowsealed blister strip have been carried out, at least the lateralpre-sealed bands are eliminated and sent where the residual product hasto be sent to be destroyed or made inert.

According to a variant, together with the pre-sealing device a cleaningsystem may be provided which cleans the possible powders on bothlongitudinal sides from the surfaces of a band equal to or larger thanthe band that will be formed by the pre-sealing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description of a preferential form ofembodiment, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to theattached drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an improved blister-makingmachine;

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation from above of the blister-makingmachine in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a system using a gaseous fluid jet to clean the lateralbands before pre-sealing;

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of the pre-sealing step limited toone side of the blister strip;

FIG. 5 is a representation of a possible mean for cleaning the surfaceof the pre-sealed blister strip at entrance to and exit from theinsulated chamber.

To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used,where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ONE FORM OF EMBODIMENT

With reference to the attached drawings, an improved blister-makingmachine according to the present invention is denoted in its entirety bythe reference number 10.

The blister-making machine 10 comprises known devices such as a moldablestrip 11, a molding machine 12 of blisters 30, a distributor device 16to distribute the noxious material 33 to be introduced into blisters 30made in the moldable strip 11 to define a blister strip 13, a sealingdevice 18, a possible pre-sectioner 20 of blister packs, a coding device21 and a shears 22 that eliminates lateral bands 19, in this casepre-sealed, as will be explained hereafter.

The distributor device 16 is put in an insulated chamber 15 and can beconnected, with the appropriate strategies, with the outside in order tofeed the noxious material or noxious products 33 to be packed into theblisters 30, made in the molding machine 12 on the moldable strip 11 todefine the blister strip 13.

In other embodiments, it may be provided that the blister-making machine10 also comprises another insulated chamber, also subject to adepression, solely in order to contain the distributor device 16 thatsends the noxious material 33 to the insulated chamber 15 only throughthe distribution pipes, of a known type.

It also comes within the spirit of the invention to provide, inside theinsulated chamber 15, suitable nozzles to deliver liquid and/or gaseousfluids, hot or cold, for washing and/or drying. In this embodiment,suitable protected drains are provided.

The insulated chamber 15 has a suction and filter system 24 and acontrol and adjustment system, that is, depression means 25, to controland adjust the depression to which the insulated chamber 15 issubjected.

The shears 22 can cooperate with a safety container 23 that collects theeliminated bands and that can also be equipped with a suction and filtersystem 24 identical to the one provided for the insulated chamber 15.The safety container 23 may cooperate with a continuous or discontinuousshearing system for the eliminated bands.

Inside the insulated chamber 15 there is a pre-sealing device 17, fedwith the covering strip 14.

The pre-sealing device 17 has two pairs of opposite wheels 29-129 (FIGS.4 and 5), which operate in coordination and each of which seals one ofthe two lateral bands of the blister strip 13 joined with the coveringstrip 14 along respective lateral edges 119 of the combined blisterstrip 13 and covering strip 14, obtaining sealed longitudinal andcontinuous bands 19. A pair or both pairs of opposite wheels 29-129 issubject to pressure toward the other pair of wheels 129-29.

Therefore on the advancing strip thus molded a tubular element isformed, defined by the two longitudinal and continuous sealed bands 19present on the long edges of the combined blister strip 13 and coveringstrip 14.

Consequently, any possible powders deposited on the strips are blockedinside the tubular element obtained.

In an alternative solution, not shown, each pair of opposite wheels29-129 can be replaced by a wheel and a stationary sealing element, forexample shaped like a tile or plate, positioned above the strip 13, 15on which it slides. In another alternative solution, not shown, eachpair of opposite wheels 29-129 can be replaced by a fixed guide, locatedunder the strip 13, 14 and on which the strip 13, 14 slides, and a wheelor stationary sealing element, for example shaped like a tile, locatedabove the strip 13, 14.

In the proximity of the exit from the insulated chamber 15 (that is,immediately before or in connection with the exit), possible fluid jets(FIG. 5) clean the surfaces of the coupled and pre-sealed strip,rejecting inside the insulated chamber 15 the possible powders thatmight be present on said surfaces.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, in cooperation with the exit wall 115 ofthe insulated chamber 15, which exit wall has suitable protectivescreens, there are cleaning means, in this case nozzles 26-34, whichsend fluid jets (air, inert or particulate gases) that clean thesurfaces and send possible powders inside the insulated chamber 15.

It comes within the spirit of the invention to make suction means forsucking in any possible powders present on said surfaces cooperate withthe surfaces of the combined blister strip 13 with noxious material 33pre-sealed by the covering strip 14.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, just before the pre-sealing device, forevery longitudinal side and cooperating with the line 27 that eliminatesthe sealed continuous band 19, there is a cleaning device 35 thatdelivers a jet of fluid to clean the surface of the edges 119 ofpossible powder of noxious material deposited there.

It also comes within the spirit of the invention to clean the zones ofthe blister strip 13 containing the noxious material 33, in which thepre-sealed bands will be made by means of suction means.

Obviously, the entrances and exits of the insulated chamber 15 arestructured and organized in a known manner so that there is no dangerthat possible powders created in the insulated chamber 15 can leak out.

Furthermore, the means that deliver the gaseous fluid 26 and 34 as inFIG. 5 can be located inside the insulated chamber 15.

Moreover, the cleaning device that delivers the jet of gaseous fluid 35(FIG. 3) can be replaced by a brush system, fixed or rotating.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made tothe blister-making machine, the method for packing in blisters and theblister packs thus obtained as described heretofore, without departingfrom the field and scope of the present invention.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been describedwith reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the artshall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms ofblister-making machine and method, having the characteristics as setforth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protectiondefined thereby.

1. Improved blister-making machine, able to produce blister packs of thedesired shape and sizes starting from a moldable strip (11), on whichblisters (30) are made so as to define a blister strip (13), from acovering strip (14) and from noxious material (33), comprising adistributor device (16) to deliver and position the noxious material(33) inside the blisters (30) and a sealing device (18) to seal thecovering strip (14) to the blister strip (13), characterized in thatupstream of the sealing device (18) there is an insulated chamber (15)into which the noxious material (33) is delivered and distributed and inwhich the covering strip (14) is applied onto the blister strip (13),said insulated chamber (15) comprising at least a pre-sealing device(17), configured to continuously achieve continuous sealed bands (19),in proximity with at least two lateral edges (119) of the combination ofthe blister strip (13) containing the noxious material (33) and of thecovering strip (14).
 2. Improved blister-making machine as in claim 1,characterized in that depression means (24) are provided in order tokeep the insulated chamber (15) in depression, the value of depressionbeing correlated to the shape and characteristics of the powdersproduced by the noxious material (33), said depression being comprisedbetween 30 Pa and 100 Pa.
 3. Improved blister-making machine as in anyclaim hereinbefore, characterized in that the distributor device (16) ispresent at least partially in the insulated chamber (15).
 4. Improvedblister-making machine as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized inthat the entrances to and exits from the insulated chamber (15) areprotected.
 5. Improved blister-making machine as in any claimhereinbefore, characterized in that it comprises cleaning means (35) atleast for the surfaces of the blister strip (13) to be pre-sealed,coherent with the pre-sealing bands (19).
 6. Improved blister-makingmachine as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it comprisescleaning means (26, 34) for the external surfaces of the pre-sealedstrip.
 7. Improved blister-making machine as in any claim hereinbefore,characterized in that it comprises a sealing unit (18) disposed afterthe exit of the pre-sealed strip from the insulated chamber (15). 8.Improved blister-making machine as in any claim hereinbefore,characterized in that there is a shears (22) that eliminates at leastthe pre-sealed lateral bands (19), said shears (22) being able tocooperate with a safety container (23).
 9. Method to obtain blisterpacks containing a noxious material (33), characterized in that, in aninsulated chamber (15), after inserting the noxious material into theblisters (30) made in a moldable strip (11), a covering strip (14) isdisposed and pre-sealings are made, consisting of continuouslongitudinal sealed bands (19) disposed at least in proximity with thelongitudinal edges of the combined blister strip (13) and covering strip(14).
 10. Method as in claim 9, characterized in that at exit from theinsulated chamber (15) the pre-sealed blister strip (13) is subjected tocomplete sealing by a sealing unit (18).
 11. Method as in claim 9 or 10,characterized in that the pre-sealed bands (19) are detached by means ofa shears (22), said pre-sealed bands (19) being able to be sent to asafety container (23).
 12. Method as in any claim from 9 to 11,characterized in that in cooperation with the exit from the insulatedchamber (15), the external surfaces of the combined blister strip (13)and covering strip (14) with the continuous pre-sealing bands (19) arecleaned of the powdery residue of noxious material (33) possiblypresent.
 13. Method as in any claim from 9 to 12, characterized in thatat least the longitudinal zones of the blister strip (13) wherepre-sealing will occur are cleaned, just before said pre-sealing actionwith the covering strip (14).
 14. Strip containing one or moreintermediate blister packs to obtain one or more final blister packscontaining noxious material (33) disposed in blisters (30),characterized in that it comprises a blister strip (13) coupled with acovering strip (14) and provided with continuous sealed bands (19),defined by pre-sealing in cooperation between the blister strip (13) andthe covering strip (14), at least in proximity with at least two lateraledges (119).